Renovation Coach: Right Price vs. Low Price

I recently advised a homeowner on a remodeling project and recommended that she not hire the lowest priced contractor because the contractors cost breakdown and timeline to complete the project appeared to be unrealistic.

She had four bids, one low, two that were relatively close in price, and one that was higher than all the rest. She stated “I am confident that I can manage this contractor to perform to the right price presented and get him to complete on time.” She elected to move forward with the low-priced contractor, contrary to my advice.

Eight weeks later I received a call from this owner in tears. She was terribly upset that her project was only 30 percent complete and had exceeded the scheduled completion date. She was also in trouble with her boss for taking so much time off of work to focus on her project. She told me that her contractor was a nice guy and listened to her concerns but just never executed or did what he said he would do. She was at the end of her rope and decided to terminate the contractor and begin searching for a new one for the project. She confused “right price” with “low price.”

Today’s economy has really brought low price top of mind. Many of us today are much more sensitive to what things cost and are looking for discounts or mark downs where we can. Our buying behavior has changed and we are making more sacrifices to keep our financial house in order. This is great and I am all for saving money today but we also must be aware of risks that come with accepting the lowest price. This is highly important when it comes to home improvement projects.

Contractors today are being asked to cut margins, discount materials and shave labor costs to get the project down to a number the owner wants to spend. Owners today are talking to five, six and yes even eight contractors (two to five more than you really need) looking for the best price.

In getting this low price do they know what the contractor has given up or failed to include for the sake of landing the sale? Will they be comfortable giving up quality due to the contractor hiring unskilled labor, performing substandard construction applications, and installing used or second hand materials? Do they still expect the contractor to be on site every day to keep their project moving, clean up, protect their home, and be responsive to questions or concernsWho is discounting the contractor’s rent, phone charges, truck payments, gas, insurance, license fees, utilities, etc.? Cutting margins puts the contractor’s business at risk, which in turn puts the project at risk. When a project is abandoned, compromised in quality, messy and unsafe, under staffed and lags on forever, the contractor will only bear the bad press for the customer’s negative experience. The decision to hire the lowest priced contractor by the owner who chose to accept the “lowest price” and the contractor who compromised his pricing model for the sake of landing the job have been forgotten at this point of the project. The focus now is how they are both going to settle their differences. Unfortunately, no one wins in this scenario.

A good solution is to select a contractor who can meet your customer service expectations and quality standards and then to discuss how you can work together to value engineer the project to meet the budget you have in mind. Discuss material and product options for your project to determine where you may be able to save. Look at efficient space saving design approaches to manage square footage and labor intensive details. Also consider providing some sweat equity for tasks like demo, site protection, and even clean up to keep your project costs down. Working with a reputable contractor who can assist you in achieving your goals, meeting your timeline and producing the project for an agreed to budget is a much better approach. Be careful today and don’t become a victim of the low price, make sure you have a contractor who can deliver for the right price.

Thanks to renovationcoach.com for sharing that fantastic blog! We couldn’t have said it better ourselves

Ed

As a Home-Medic my Hippocratic duty is to ensure you receive the ultimate level of service while providing the quality construction necessary to complete your renovation project; ultimately helping to bring your family closer together.

It is best to base on the personal accounts of friends or kin who already had the experience of hiring a remodeling contractor. In this way, you can check out the results of the contractor’s work and gather feedback from the home owners.

AK Complete Home Renovations was established in 1995. Led by Ed
Cholfin, AK is an Atlanta, family-owned, design/build remodeling company with a
vision to be a leader in the industry.
Today, as a full-service design/build firm, AK's innovative design
concepts, high standards and dedication to superior customer service
have placed it among an elite group of design/build companies.
AK has been recognized as an industry expert, having been featured in
Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine, Today’s Custom Home, Kitchen &
Bath Design News, Northside News, Atlanta INTown Paper, WC Magazine,
North Atlanta Living, HomeSavvi.com and TrendIdeas.com. Our design
professionals are sought after by major industry publications looking to
feature their work and wanting to get their input on market and design
trends!We understand the value of your investment and the importance of a major decision such as a home renovation.
With an outstanding team and a core group of trade professionals, we’ve
built a solid reputation in a competitive market, with the majority of
our clients resulting from referrals. We work as a single team with a
single goal - our client's complete satisfaction!We are talking about your biggest investment and the health, happiness and safety of your family in your home after all....we just won't compromise, and won't settle for anything less than perfect!